Dreamcast regions question

[Yoshiegg]

Hi guys, I'm looking to buy my first Dreamcast. Do you know if the PAL version is the same all over Europe? i.e. German or whatever country and UK version are the same? Wikipedia has two different release dates, one "PAL" and one "EU", so I'm confused.

Also, with http://www.consolesandgadgets.co.uk/cat ... p-153.html, would I be able to use a North-American console with my PAL television without any trouble? I'm considering getting a brand new one from Amazon.

Sorry if these questions have been answered before, I tried using the search function but it didn't come up with anything related as far as I could tell.

Thanks!

[Pulsar_t]

I believe Sega made a unique BIOS for each of the main 5 european languages (maybe more), but they all function the same way. Menus are easy to navigate regardless of language. PAL releases should work on ALL European models, that is a given. Some multi-lingual games (Multi-3 or Multi-5 they're called) will switch to the language of the BIOS automatically, but most often an option to change the language is provided as well. Is your telly recent (ie made during the last 10 years)? If so chances are strong it supports 60Hz PAL+NTSC, but if it's a local job and not a big brand name chances are it's PAL only. If you have an LCD telly I HIGHLY recommend getting the VGA box, it really pips everything else offered by 6th gen hardware (except the Xbox, possibly if it has VGA out/cable).

[Yoshiegg]

Thanks a lot of the detailed answer! Yeah, my TV is fairly new Samsung LCD. I didn't get into console gaming before I bought the PS3 a couple of years ago, and the Dreamcast seems like a lovely system to fill the gap between the PS3 and my Super Nintendo I didn't know much about the DC until recently, the VGA box option seems like the definite way to go!

Are there any other reasons I should get a European Dreamcast over a North-American Dreamcast, or vice versa? Do one of them have an advantage over the other in any way?

[Pulsar_t]

I wish I could help you with that bit. Certain models can be sturdier than others but it's been a while so hopefully someone else will chime in with the necessary information

[17DaysOlderThanNES]

just keep in mind, the VGA box doesn't work with all games (I don't really understand why).

One great thing about the Dreamcast is that if you have one made before October 2000, you can play games burned to a CD-R without modification. That means you can just download backups of your retail games (rather than risk scratching up your retail copy), burn cheat and VMU save discs, homebrew, emulators, etc. etc. The Dreamcast is probably the most accessible homebrew console out there as anything better requires some serious hard or soft-modding to get up and running.

As for Euro PAL vs. NTSC, I'm not really sure about TV compatibility. I would say get a Euro one to be safe, but then again most Dreamcast images (emulators, etc.) are meant for NTSC consoles. I think you'll need to hear from a Euro member to clarify the versatility, I know very little about European consoles/TV standards.

[Yoshiegg]

You've been most helpful, I appreciate it! Lots of useful information here that will help me decide when buying.

[Pulsar_t]

http://www.racketboy.com/retro/2006/05/ ... -list.html Here is the VGA compatibility list. If you're hooking up your Dreamcast to LCD i'm fairly certain 60Hz (which is the max refresh rate for most LCDs) covers NTSC and PAL60.

I would also consider modding the system because the Dreamcast (if you get a later model) is notorious for scratching discs, so playing backups on it might be the wiser choice as 17days pointed out. Of course the trade-off is that it'll wear down the laser faster that way, unless you find quality rips!